Sorry to hear you have this . I have battled with it for most all of my life and will be 58 shortly. I posted a long post on a new (even though it sounds crazy) treatment. I do not know if you smoke or are overweight, but I have been putting Swiss cheese in gauze over the affected areas and it seems to be helping a lot. Also taking Niacin in large doses but you have to start slow with the niacin. I just posted a few days ago and you might want to give it a try.

I think that the condition is caused by overactive glands that secrete too much Salic acid. Salic acid and lactic acid are similar in structure. Swiss Cheese (aged not the single wrapped kind) contains a bacteria that eats lactic acid so I thought it might work the same on Salic acid. If the glands are producing too much Salic acid it would work like a chemical peel on the skin then friction would cause the hair follicules to become damaged blocking sweat, sebum, and Salic acid from getting to the skin surface. I have only been doing this for a little over a week, but it seems to be working. I am going to update my post every week or so with an update so if you don't want to try it right away maybe you can just keep up with my progress to find out how it is doing. Stand tall as you are not alone.

Hi..i can relate everything you said. What works for me is doing a detox regime..drinking green smoothies...and using clindamycin lotion...get you a rx of that..it takes away the odor and everything. Fyi....weight does make it worse..so yes we do need to lose some weight....hope this helps

I feel like this should go without saying but please do not strap swiss cheese to yourself.

Depending on how severe it is, detoxing isn't going to do very much either. A lot of things people recommend sound like miracle cures, but the point isn't that drinking green smoothies will be a cure (I drink one every day, love it, don't get me wrong, totally recommend it, makes pooping a breeze) but making your body maximally strong and healthy is always going to produce better results. That includes exercising, eating plenty of veggies, getting protein (and iron!), and drinking tons of water. It's just always good advice, definitely do it.

But HS is an autoimmune disorder. Specifically, it's an autoinflammatory disorder. Your immune system's inflammatory response is overactive. Depending on the severity, that means there are a few different treatment routes. The best thing is to get to a dermatologist with experience treating patients with this disorder.

Hot epsom salt baths help draw out the excess puss in your skin.They soften the outer layer of skin, encouraging things to drain, and they feel phenomenal on cyst-y bits. Adding baking soda will also seriously help with the smell. Soak for about 20 minutes (dump in baking soda generously, it's not going to hurt you, just use lotion on the bits that aren't flaring up when you're done so you don't get dried out) and you get 8-12 hours of decreased smell. Of course, it's totally hard to find 20 minutes to soak with a 6 week old son. Hot compresses are great too. You can fill a sink with hot water, add epsom salt, dip a clean cloth in it, and hold it against a cyst. It will feel good, try to keep it on for 20 minutes, and the salt will help draw out what's inside and help it run its course.

I would also mix the pain-reducing neosporin (the light blue stripe on the box) with a bit of baking soda, and spread it on cysts over night. It helped draw things out. You can more cheaply do this with vaseline, I just opted for neosporin so the drainage site would be kept clean with an anti-bacterial, and because the pain-reducing variety has a light analgesic which reduces the pain.

I also use hibiclens. It doesn't really do much but prevent secondary infection (again, this is something going wrong internally: you're not gross or dirty, it's systemic, not hygienic). I found it could reduce smell and oozing for a few hours and definitely cut down on some secondary infections. It's cheaper online than in a store, and I mix it with a soap that has no additives (aveeno, which is stupid expensive, but you take one bottle of aveeno or any other soap, and one empty bottle. Empty half the new bottle into the empty bottle, fill both the rest of the way with hibiclens, shake it up. It comes out gross and chunky but the froth is pink and makes it easier to apply the hibiclens to the sore bits. Don't scrub! Just take some of the froth and gently put it on there to clean it out, it won't burn, gently rinse it out, and you're good).

The best thing is to go to your knowledgeable dermatologist and ask him to lance it. Make sure he's someone you regularly go to; it's different lancing something on someone with HS and just getting rid of the occasional boil. It'll instantly feel better, and it gives your dermatologist a chance to take a sample of the flora (bacteria) that you tend to be susceptible to should you need antibiotics in the future.

Ibuprofen (the main ingredient in aleve and advil) is an anti-inflammatory and will decrease swelling and can give you temporary relief. It does, however, thin your blood, which can make wounds take longer to heal. It also can extend the duration of a cyst, by reducing pressure, instead of allowing the pressure to (I know it's gross) pop itself.

Between trying pretty much everything I've read on these forums (with the 2 am turmeric puke to prove it) I've found that these are the only things that are truths. The best thing: get a doctor you trust who knows what she/he is doing, and listen to them.